After Xiao Qingyin told Yi Shuihan, Yi Shuihan arranged for them to meet.

"Madam, I have finally met you."

Geng Yuning knelt down and kowtowed as soon as he saw Han.

His weathered face was streaked with tears.

Seeing the injury on his leg, Han replied, "Get up first, just sit down."

"Thank you for your understanding, Madam."

Geng Yuning looked grateful.

He slowly sat down on the chair behind him, only taking up a small portion of the space.

Han originally thought he had betrayed the Yun family army, but seeing his respectful attitude, her resolve wavered.

"What exactly happened back then? How did the Yun family army lose? How did you survive...?"

Han fired off a series of questions.

A look of grief appeared on Geng Yuning's face.

"Back then, the Xilin Iron Cavalry attacked several border cities simultaneously in several routes, and the Northwest Army also formed several reinforcement routes."

"The Yun family army was assigned to Lucheng. According to intelligence at the time, there were only 20,000 Xilin Iron Cavalry in Lucheng."

"The Yun family army has exactly 20,000 men. The Marquis thought victory was assured this time."

"But when they approached Lucheng, the Marquis discovered that the enemy's numbers seemed to be more than 20,000, so he sent scouts to investigate."

"Three scouts were sent out, but only one returned: Wei Ying."

"Wei Ying said that the Xilin Iron Cavalry was indeed more than 20,000, and should be 30,000."

"Although 30,000 is quite a lot, the Yun family army is still capable of fighting. The Marquis has formulated a strategy based on this number."

"When we actually engaged in battle, we discovered that the enemy's forces numbered far more than 30,000; at least 60,000 or 70,000."

"After the Marquis discovered that the intelligence was wrong, he immediately ordered a retreat, but then 20,000 Xilin Iron Cavalry appeared and cut off our retreat."

"The Yun family army was completely wiped out."

Geng Yuning broke down in tears as he spoke.

"I fought alongside the Marquis to the very end, and was shot in the chest by an arrow. I thought I was surely dead, but I woke up later and found out that my heart was a little crooked, and that arrow did not kill me."

"Just as I was about to move, I heard two voices beside me, one of which was that of scout Wei Ying."

"Their voices were a bit far away, so I couldn't hear them very clearly. I only heard Wei Ying ask if he could go back now, and the other person said yes. They left shortly afterward."

"I waited for a long time to make sure no one was around before I got up and left the battlefield."

"After I survived, I tried to find out the truth, but the other Northwest armies were also wiped out, and the ten border cities were occupied by the Xilin Kingdom. I was unwilling to accept this, so I stayed on the border, hoping to gather intelligence from the Xilin Kingdom."

“By chance, I was rescued by an old shepherdess from Xilin Kingdom. I lied and said I was a border refugee and stayed in her house as a farmhand.”

"The old woman's son was very skilled and later became the personal bodyguard of the Crown Prince of Xilin Kingdom."

“Three years ago, the Crown Prince of Xilin wanted to find someone who was fluent in Da Xi Mandarin to teach him the language. The old woman’s son recommended me, so I went to the Crown Prince’s side and gradually gained his trust.”

"Although I have followed him to many occasions, I have never heard of any inside agents in that battle."

"That battle was led by one of their generals, who died two years ago from excessive drinking."

Han sighed.

"So, you've spent fifteen years and still haven't found the truth?"

"That's how it was supposed to be."

Geng Yuning replied.

"But on the day I was brought back to the capital, I heard Wei Ying's voice at the city gate."

"You ran into Wei Ying?"

Han cried out in shock.

"Yes, I asked General Yi's subordinates and learned that the person who spoke at the time was named Wei Chang, who is now the commander of the Imperial Guard."

Geng Yuning's eyes were filled with tears.

"It must be the spirit of the Marquis in heaven protecting me."

Otherwise, how could he have wandered around Xilin Kingdom for many years without finding any clues, only to find them on his very first day back in the capital?

Xiao Qingyin immediately looked at Yi Jiu.

Wei Ying, the scout who killed the Yun family army back then, is now the commander of the Imperial Guard and a confidant of Emperor Chengtai.

Considering Emperor Chengtai's unusual attitude towards the Yun family, even a fool would know who instigated what happened back then.

Why did Emperor Chengtai want to kill the Yun family army?

Yun Shen once taught him martial arts, and the two reportedly had a good relationship.

Why did Emperor Chengtai suddenly turn against him?

Just because Yun Shen disagreed with the methods he used to rise to power?

Xiao Qingyin always felt that things weren't that simple.

She's a little worried that Yi Jiu might report this to Emperor Chengtai.

After all, he was Yi Shuihan's confidant, and Yi Shuihan was Cheng Tai's confidant.

Yi Shuihan knew what Xiao Qingyin was thinking as soon as he met her gaze.

He said irritably, "If I were on His Majesty's side, I would have handed the person over long ago."

That seems to make sense.

Xiao Qingyin touched her nose.

Yi Shuihan sighed softly.

He whispered in her ear, "If you trusted me even half as much as you trust Ji Yunhua, I would die without regrets."

Xiao Qingyin: "..."

Please don't portray her as such a scumbag.

“If you are willing to leave the Marquis’s mansion and elope with me, I guarantee that I will trust you twice as much as I trust Ji Yunhua.”

Yi Shuihan: "..."

Does not eloping with her mean he cannot be trusted?

What kind of logic is this?

After hearing Geng Yuning's explanation, although she knew it was unlikely, Han couldn't help but ask, "Besides you, did anyone else survive?"

"Probably not."

Geng Yuning shook his head.

"Before I left the battlefield, I examined the bodies of the Marquis and several young masters, and found no signs of life in them."

Han felt a sense of oppression.

After asking a few more questions, seeing that Geng Yuning was exhausted, she said goodbye to him.

"Grandmother, do you believe what Geng Yuning said?"

After returning to the Yun residence, Xiao Qingyin asked.

"His words should be credible."

Han replied.

"Then why do you think the emperor destroyed the Yun family army?"

Han shook her head: "I have absolutely no clue."

Did your maternal grandfather ever mention anything about the emperor to you?

Han tried hard to recall, and after a while, she replied, "After the autumn hunt that year, he said that His Majesty had changed a bit. He used to hunt himself, but that time most of his prey was hunted by his guards."

"That's all. Your maternal grandfather rarely talked to me about matters of state."

"Did he give you anything before he went to war?"

Xiao Qingyin asked.

“Yes,” Han said. “He gave me a book and said that I could read it more often when he was not around, but the book disappeared not long after he left.”

Have you read that book?

"I've read it. It's just an ordinary travelogue, and you can buy it in bookstores now."

After listening, Xiao Qingyin felt that if she wanted to know more, she could only ask the commander of the Imperial Guard.

But she has no connection with the other party and can't even see them, so how can she get information?

Unexpectedly, an opportunity came knocking on my door a few days later.